A Better Man
by Kristen Elizabeth
Summary: When threatened by the presence of a new man in Hilde's life, can Duo bite the bullet and say the three most important words?


Disclaimer: Would I be carted away to the police station or the loony bin if I said I owned Gundam Wing? Personally, I'd be rooting for the loony bin. Much more colorful. Oh, but I don't own the show. Yeah...  
  
Author's Notes: Fluff, fluff everywhere and not a drop to drink. Actually, it's not that bad. And I needed a burst of sweetness after my last story. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Dedication: To my friends who, for some reason, put up with me.  
  
****  
  
A Better Man  
by Kristen Elizabeth  
  
****  
  
After Colony 200  
  
Duo Maxwell entered the cramped, but comfortable house he shared with his business partner, Hilde Schbeiker as he did every day after work. He closed the door behind him, shed his black leather jacket and tossed a pile of mail addressed to Hilde onto the hall table, where she would be sure to see it. With his own mail in hand, he started for the kitchen. Hilde would probably have dinner already started and he could sneak a bite or two when her back was turned.   
  
Dinner preperations were underway, but the kitchen was empty. Duo checked the spaghetti sauce bubbling on the front burner by taking a liberal sample with a large wooden spoon. The tangy sauce burned his mouth; he fanned it with one hand.  
  
"Hilde", he called out around the mouthful of sauce. "Hilde...where are you?"  
  
When he recieved no answer, he began to get a little worried. Dropping the spoon back into the pot, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. "Hilde...."   
  
"I'm in here, Duo." Her voice was muffled as it drifted down the hallway from her bedroom. He made his way down the hall, flipping on the light before lightly pushing her door open.   
  
She was sitting at her desk, talking to the communicator screen. "...think I should tell him?", she finished her sentence just as Duo came in.  
  
The familiar voice of Relena Peacecraft replied back; when Duo stepped further into the room, he could see her pretty face on the screen. "Well, this is all going to require a trip to Earth. He might get suspicious, so you might as well." She looked over her shoulder. "Oh...Heero's beckoning."  
  
Hilde giggled. "And you're going?"  
  
The Vice Foriegn Minister shook her head. "Only because *I* want to." She winked. "Call me later and give me your final answer so I can tell the committee."   
  
"All right. Bye, Relena." Hilde turned her communicator screen off and turned in her chair to face Duo. "How long have you been calling my name? I didn't even hear you come in."   
  
Duo gave her a curious stare. "What was Relena talking about? Who are you telling what to?"  
  
She stood up and stretched her petite, five foot two figure. "How about I tell you over dinner? I made spaghetti." She looked up at his handsome face, noticing a swipe of sauce on his lip. "Which, I can see, you're already aware of."   
  
He was about to wipe it away, when he felt her thumb do it for him. "Uh...thanks", he managed to say. She smiled and walked past him, heading for the kitchen. She left the scent of wildflowers in her wake; he breathed deeply before following her.   
  
As she tossed a salad, Duo haphazardly set the table. When he banged the last fork into place, he could no longer take it. "C'mon Hilde!! Tell me what you and Relena were talking about!"  
  
Hilde laughed and popped a piece of chopped olive into her mouth. "Patience is not your best virtue, is it?" Seeing the mock pout on her dearest friend's face, she gave in. "Fine. I'll tell you." She carried two plates of spaghetti over to the table. "Relena is the head of a charity that raises money for the orphanages in the Sanq Kingdom."  
  
Duo sat down and dug into his dinner. "Okay..."  
  
"The organization is getting ready for their biggest fundraiser." Hilde went back to the counter for the salad plates. "This year they've decided on a human auction."  
  
Her business partner stopped chewing a huge forkful of spaghetti. "A what?", he said around the food.  
  
Hilde twisted pasta around her fork. "You know...volunteers offer themselves up for a date and people bid on the chance to go out with them for one night."   
  
Duo swallowed. "Is prostitution legal now?"  
  
Her punch was hard and fast, landing directly on his bicep. "You would say that, Duo." She sighed. "It's all perfectly respectable. Relena's going to do it; I bet a lot of men would pay a lot of money to go out with the Vice Foriegn Minister."   
  
"And I bet those same men would pay a lot not to have Heero Yuy kick their asses."   
  
Hilde shrugged. "Heero knows it's nothing serious. It's for a good cause, Duo."  
  
Duo wiped his mouth on a paper napkin. "I can't imagine that any guy, especially Heero, would stand by and watch the woman he loves place herself on auction to the highest..."  
  
"I told Relena I'd do it, too."   
  
She watched Duo carefully for any reaction, but his face revealed nothing. Inside Duo's brain, however, there was nothing but screams of protest. The very idea of Hilde, *his* Hilde, not only being auctioned to some rich, overweight, old Baron, but having to spend an entire evening in another man's company was beyond unacceptable. Every instinct in him told him to stand up, grab her shoulders and tell her she couldn't possibly think about doing this. She was his...he was hers. It was the way things were supposed to be...forever.   
  
But all he did was clear his throat. "I'm sure you'll get a lot of money for the orphanages."   
  
Hilde bit her lip and willed back hot tears. This was the answer she had expected, but certainly not the one she had hoped for. She mentally chastised herself; it was pathetic, thinking that Duo would protest the idea of her dating another guy...even if it was just for charity. She had her answer to the question she had been pondering for a long time. Now it was time to deal with the answer and move on.   
  
"Well...the fundraiser is on Earth in two weeks. Should I book you a shuttle ticket along with mine?", she asked as casually as possible. He didn't say anything. "Quatre and Trowa are coming; Trowa asked that girl he knows from the circus to be in the auction. Wufei will be there, too, because Sally's participating..." She trailed off, waiting for his answer.  
  
Finally, Duo shrugged indifferently. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to catch up with everyone." He looked down at his plate; suddenly, he had no appetite. "I'm gonna go back to the shop for awhile. I forgot to...um...do some stuff."  
  
Hilde looked at his unfinished dinner. "Duo...are you all right?"   
  
"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?"  
  
Her voice was impossibly quiet. "I don't know."   
  
"Don't wait up for me." He walked out of the kitchen.  
  
Hilde poked at her pile of spaghetti. "I never do."  
  
****  
  
"Ladies and gentleman, we will be entering Earth's atmosphere in just a few moments. Please make sure that your tray tables are in their upright and locked position and that all seatbelts are fastened securely. Thank you."   
  
"Hilde Schbeiker...is your tray table in its upright and locked position?", Duo asked in his best voice of mock seriousness.  
  
She giggled and tapped on the folded plastic back of the seat in front of her. "Check."  
  
"Is your seatbelt fastened securely?" Before she could answer, he reached between her hip and the armrest and tugged on the belt across her slender abdomen. She fought to keep from gasping as his hand groped around her lower body.   
  
"Um...check", she said. He removed his hand and folded his arms across his chest. "What about you?", she asked.  
  
Duo smiled and closed his eyes. "My tray table is always in an upright position."  
  
Despite the tension that had been present between them for the past two weeks, Hilde began to laugh. It was a typical Duo response...the kind she had been missing. They had not discussed the auction any further since that night; Duo had made it clear that he did not want to. He hadn't even indicated that he wanted to see the dress she bought for the occasion. Hilde sighed. At least he had agreed to come.   
  
They were silent throughout the shuttle's atmospheric entry, flight down to the Earth's surface and landing. When the flight attendant indicated it was all right to do so, Duo unbuckled his belt, stood up and stretched. "I hate commerical flights", he announced. "Give me a mobile suit anyday."  
  
Heero Yuy was waiting for them in the spaceport terminal. He nodded in greeting as they dragged their exhausted bodies over to where he stood. "Relena's sorry she couldn't come", he told them. "But she has a meeting."   
  
Hilde adjusted the strap of her carry-on bag. "For the auction?" Heero nodded again, this time in affirmation.   
  
Duo snorted. "They're really going through with this thing?"  
  
"I hope so!", Hilde declared. "Or else I blew three hundred dollars on the world's most fabulous dress for nothing!"  
  
"You're amazingly calm about this, Heero." Duo looked at his oldest friend strangely. "You're going to let Relena get auctioned off?"   
  
Heero reached for Hilde's bags. "It's all been taken care of", was all he would say.   
  
****  
  
At the head of the table, Relena lifted her wine glass. "Thank you everyone for coming this weekend", she said to her friends. "And a special thanks to everyone who will be participating in the auction tomorrow night. The committee appreciates it, too."   
  
Quatre Raberba Winner raised his own glass. "I hope they also appreciate having a dedicated committee chairperson like yourself, Relena." She blushed.   
  
"To the auction!", Hilde announced. Everyone echoed the statement before taking a liberal sip of wine. "I'm so excited about this", she continued as a servant placed a plate in front of her.   
  
"So am I", Preventer physician, Sally Po, agreed. "I only hope I get a good bidder. Young, handsome, rich..." Chang Wufei stabbed his steak with his fork.   
  
Duo snickered behind his wine glass. "And so dead when Wufei gets through with him."   
  
"Wufei knows this is all for a good cause", Sally threw the braided man a look. "Everyone does...right?"  
  
Trowa Barton cleared his throat. "I am sort of curious why only the women are being auctioned off."   
  
"Simple." Relena cut a small piece of steak. "The committee wasn't able to find enough men who were willing to participate." She gave her boyfriend a hard look across the table. "And believe me...the committee tried its hardest."   
  
Heero cut his own steak with extreme prescision. "The committee never had a prayer."  
  
"It's just as well, princess." Duo swallowed a mouthful of mashed potatoes. "Heero's highest bidder would demand her money back before the second course of their dinner date."   
  
Hilde pointed at her business partner with her fork. "And what about you? The woman who bid on you would have to settle for fast food and the latest slasher film."   
  
"No, she wouldn't. There wouldn't *be* any woman. 'Cause I'd never do something as stupid as..."  
  
Relena interrupted the mounting argument. "Did I mention that every single penny goes to the orphans? That's rare for a charity; often there's all sorts of fees and things." She scooped up a bite of potatoes. "But not this time."   
  
Trowa's friend from the circus, Catherine Bloom, spoke up for the first time. "What time do we need to be at the banquet hall?" She winked at Trowa. "I was hoping to get some good shopping time on Earth."   
  
"Seven", Relena replied, warmly. "The dinner starts at eight and the auction at nine."   
  
Duo looked at his watch. He had exactly twenty-four hours to convince Hilde not to go through with this insanity. Catching the muderous look she was giving him across the table, he knew his mission was not going to be an easy one.  
  
****  
  
"For the last time, Duo..." Sally lifted her sunglasses and looked up at the man hanging over her lounge chair. "I do *not* feel this charity event is degrading to women. And I will not try to convince the other girls that it is." She lowered her sunglasses. "Now...if you'll excuse me, I need to turn over."   
  
Giving in, Duo turned on his heel and stalked back into the house, leaving Sally to roast by the pool. He passed by Wufei who was on his way out to join his girlfriend. "Women be damned!", Duo announced. Wufei nodded curtly before continuing on his way.   
  
Quatre looked up from his book as Duo stormed into the parlor and plopped into an overstuffed chair. "Duo...I think you might be going about this the wrong way."   
  
"Going about what the wrong way?", Duo feigned ignorance.   
  
His friend smiled and placed a marker in his book. "How long have we known each other? Don't you think I know what's going on in that head of yours?"   
  
Duo scowled. "What are you saying?"  
  
Trowa entered the parlor and took a seat next to his blonde lover. "He's saying that if you don't want Hilde to be in the auction, you should tell her instead of trying to sabotage the auction itself."   
  
"Why wouldn't I want Hilde to be in the auction?" Duo sat up straight. "I don't care if she wants to get up on a catwalk and flaunt her body and get picked over by a dozen stuffy diplomats like she was a piece of meat."   
  
"Well..." Trowa put his arm around Quatre's shoulders. "I'm convinced."   
  
Quatre shook his head and laughed softly. "Duo...explain something to me. Exactly why *haven't* you told Hilde you love her?"   
  
"Because...", Duo began. "Because..."  
  
"Because...?", Trowa prompted.   
  
"Just because, all right??"   
  
"Because he's scared." Heero joined his friends in the parlor.  
  
Duo shot to his feet. "Scared?! You think I'm scared?!" Heero nodded. "Let me tell you something..." He tapped his chest. "The God of Death is scared of *nothing*...least of all women."   
  
"Good." Heero sat on the arm of the couch. "Then you'll tell her tonight. Before the auction."   
  
He was backed into a corner, once again, by the Perfect Soldier. His palms itched with fury, but there was nothing he could do. To reject the mission would be to give in and admit that he was, in fact, terrified of letting Hilde know just how much she meant to him. "Fine!", he declared. "I will tell her. I will tell her tonight!" He started off, but stopped before he was completely out of the room. "No...better yet. I'll tell her right now. 'Cause I am *so* not scared!"  
  
Heero watched him march up the stairs to the second floor of the Peacecraft Manor. "Should I have told him she's not here right now?"  
  
"He'll figure it out eventually", Trowa replied.  
  
****  
  
Much later, Duo returned to the guest room Hilde was staying in. Unlike earlier that afternoon, he knew she would be in now. They all had to leave for the banquet hall soon; she would mostly likely be dressing. Not the most ideal time for a heart to heart, but it was then or never.   
  
He looked down at his suit, the only one he owned. It was wrinkle free and that was all he could say for it. Smoothing down his tie, he took a breath and knocked on her door.   
  
She answered in her bathrobe. Her short, dark hair was up in curlers and the only makeup she wore was foundation. But to Duo, she looked more beautiful than ever. Except when she scowled at him. "Is there something you want, Duo?"  
  
"Um..." Duo fidgeted. "I gotta talk to you."  
  
Hilde narrowed her eyes as she examined him. "All right." She stepped aside to let him in. "But make it quick; I need to finish dressing."  
  
Duo rubbed his hands together, pumping himself up. **You can do this...you can do this. It's easy...just three words. You can do this...** He took another huge breath of air and began. "Hilde...we've been working together for...what? Decades?"  
  
"Four years", she said, in dead monotone.   
  
"Okay...four years. That's an awful long time." Duo pressed on. "And...in those four years....we've gotten to be really good...friends. Right?"  
  
"Sure", she replied tartly. "Friends."  
  
Duo nodded. "And sometimes friends..." He stopped.   
  
Hilde waved her hand. "Yes? Sometimes friends..."  
  
He blinked. "You know...I don't even know what your dress looks like. You never showed me."  
  
"You never asked to see it." Hilde sighed. "Is that all you came to talk about, Duo? 'Cause I'll be wearing the dress onstage in just a few hours."   
  
"No...I..." He kicked the oriental rug with the toe of his boot. "I wanted to say..." He lifted his gaze to meet her familiar crystal blue stare. Her eyes always reminded him of a swimming pool in summer; sometimes he wished he could dive into her. And be at peace. But, Heero was right. He was afraid.   
  
And he couldn't do it.   
  
"You wanted to say....?"  
  
Duo plastered a hugely fake smile onto his face. "Knock 'em dead, kid."   
  
There was a long pause. Finally, Hilde walked back to the door and opened it up, indicating that he was free to leave. "See you at the banquet hall."   
  
****  
  
"I'm an idiot."   
  
Quatre looked up from his dessert of chocolate mousse. For the fifth time, he nodded his head in agreement. "I'm afraid you are."  
  
Duo sighed. "I was right there....two words away from saying it. And then..." He spread his hands. "Nothing."  
  
Trowa placed his spoon in his empty mousse cup. "Face it. You blew it."   
  
"I know!" Duo threw his own spoon down. "God...I know."   
  
Heero shook his head and folded his arms over his chest. "Definitely scared."  
  
Duo was about to retort when the lights in the banquet hall suddenly dimmed. A spotlight flared up, pointing towards the makeshift runway at the head of the hall. A man stepped out from the crimson curtains. "Good evening, ladies and gentlemen...distinguished guests. I hope you enjoyed your dinner; I know I enjoyed mine." The man paused. "Now it's time for the reason you're here tonight....our very special auction. So, get your checkbooks ready. Because gentlemen, you don't want to miss the opportunity for an evening in the following ladies' company."  
  
There was a round of applause. The first woman up for auction stepped out of the curtains. Duo turned back to his friends. "Do you really think I *completely* blew it? Or did I just blow it a little bit?"  
  
Wufei leaned forward, confidentally. "Maxwell...", he began in a low tone. "You completely blew it."  
  
Duo's forehead dropped to the white linen covered table. "I'm an idiot!"  
  
"Duo, you didn't mess up so badly that things can't be fixed", Quatre assured him. "But...if your only goal was to keep her from dating the person who bids on her tonight...then you did blow it. Now, when this whole auction thing is over and you still want to tell her you love her and you don't....then you will have *completely* blown it."   
  
The bidding for the second woman began, but Duo barely heard any of it. "But...what if she likes the guy she goes out with? What if he's everything she's ever been looking for and she decides to marry him on their first date and then they run off to Tahiti together and have a dozen children on the beach and..."  
  
Heero cleared his throat. "Quit whining. Relena's up next."  
  
"Our next lovely lady is Miss Relena Peacecraft." Relena stepped out from the curtains, radiant in low cut, clingy, white silk gown. Out of the corner of his eye, Duo watched Heero sit up straighter. There was love in his oldest friend's eyes as Relena walked down the catwalk. The MC continued. "You know her, of course, as our esteemed Vice Foriegn Minister. But when she's not meting out international politics, Miss Peacecraft enjoys riding her horse, contributing to the many charities to which she belongs, and..." The MC squinted at the cards in his hand. "Um....dating her long-time boyfriend, Heero Yuy." He looked confused. Relena looked at him strangely, then scanned the audience, accusation in her eyes.   
  
Duo poked Heero's arm. "How did you get ahold of the cards?"  
  
"If he told you...", Trowa said, flatly. "...he'd have to kill you."  
  
"Well..." The MC smiled. "Let's start the bidding at five hundred dollars."   
  
Heero narrowed his eyes. "Only five hundred dollars?"   
  
A man in the audience raised his hand. "Five hundred...do I hear six?", the MC asked. Another hand was raised. "Six hundred...come on, gentlemen...this is our Vice Foriegn Minister...do I hear seven?" The first hand raised again. "Seven hundred....eight? Eight hundred..." The second hand raised once more. "Eight hundred dollars...do I hear nine?" There was a pause. "Gentlemen...do I hear nine hundred dollars for the woman who maintains our peace?"  
  
"Two thousand", Heero declared.   
  
On the stage, Relena put her hands on her hips. The MC looked surprised. "Two thousand...do I hear more?" There was dead silence. "Two thousand going once....twice...sold! A date with the lovely Relena Peacecraft goes to the man at table one for two thousand dollars."   
  
There was a round of applause. Relena turned on her heel and walked backstage. Duo looked at Heero incredously. "Where the hell did you get two thousand dollars?" Heero took a sip of water and said nothing. On the other side of the table, Quatre began to laugh. Duo's gaze swung to him. "Quatre...did you....?"  
  
The Arabian man lifted his shoulders. "What can I say? I'm an eternal romantic." He reached for Trowa's hand. "And since I won't be bidding myself....this way I could still contribute to the charity."   
  
"You're too good, Quat-man. Way too good." Duo picked up his water glass.  
  
Quatre watched him carefully. "Duo...you know...if you want to bid on..."  
  
Shaking his head, Duo swallowed. "No. Thank you."   
  
"Our next lovely auctionee is Miss Sally Po." Sally stepped out in a blood red brocaded silk Mandarin gown with its high collar and even higher slit up both sides. There were several low whistles from around the dark room; Wufei snorted. "Miss Po is not only the Chief Physician of our elite Preventers....she's an accomplished martial artist. So, to the lucky man who wins a date with Miss Po....you have been warned. Keep your hands to yourself." There was light laughter. "Again, we'll start the bidding at five hundred dollars."   
  
"Seven hundred", a man two tables over called out.   
  
"I've got seven...do I hear eight?"  
  
Wufei's was indignant. "Seven hundred dollars is pitiful." He raised his voice. "A thousand."   
  
"I hear a thousand....do I have eleven hundred?" The first man nodded. "Eleven hundred....do I hear more?"  
  
"Twelve hundred", Wufei called out, standing up from his seat.   
  
Duo looked at Quatre. "Are you footing the bill for this one, too?" Quatre shook his head. "Wufei...", Duo hissed. "What are you doing?"   
  
Wufei glanced down at the braided man. "If she's going out with another man, he's going to pay a price worthy of her time."  
  
The man two tables over raised his hand. "Thirteen hundred."   
  
The MC nodded. "We've got thirteen hundred....thirteen going once...twice....sold! A date with the loveliest Preventer of them all goes to Ambassador Richard Clemson from Colony L4-4329 at table number eight."   
  
As Sally headed backstage, Wufei sat down with mild contentment. "Happy?", Duo asked him, dryly.  
  
"It was justifiable. The woman will be pleased."  
  
The bidding proceeded. Duo expected Hilde to step out at any second, but apparently they were saving the best for last. After the date with Catherine went to a young businessman from America for fifteen hundred dollars, Duo began to get antsy. He was also hopeful.   
  
"Where is she? Do you think she decided not go through with this?"  
  
The MC cleared his throat. "And last, but certainly not least, Miss Hilde Schbeiker."   
  
Duo's head swung around to the stage to see Hilde step out from the curtains. The spotlight hit her and for some reason, he had trouble breathing...she was breathtaking. Her gown was midnight blue velvet, strapless...it hugged every lithe curve she had. Her skin was perfectly pale, milky white in the light. Her hair was curled, held back from her face by a matching velvet band. It sparkled in the light as though it had been dusted with glitter. She was smiling brightly; her blue eyes sparkled every bit as much as her hair.   
  
"Miss Schbeiker hails from Colony L2-6723 where she is the partial owner of a sucessful metalworks company. However, her interests are much different than metal and grease. She enjoys classic movies, cooking and playing the piano."   
  
Duo forced his mouth to work. "I didn't know she played the piano."  
  
"We'll start the bidding for a date with Miss Schbeiker at five hundred dollars."   
  
A man somewhere behind their table called out, "Eight hundred."   
  
"I hear eight hundred...do I hear nine?"  
  
Another man to Duo's left stood up. "A thousand."  
  
On the stage, Hilde smiled and turned, displaying her dress and the body that filled it out so perfectly to the greatest advantage. There were a few whistles and another man stood up. "Twelve hundred."  
  
Duo began to panic. "Quatre...do something!!"  
  
The MC continued the bidding. "I've got twelve hundred. Do I hear thirteen?"  
  
"Fifteen hundred", the first man declared.  
  
"Sixteen hundred."  
  
"Eighteen hundred."   
  
"Quatre!!!!"  
  
The blond man spread his hands helplessly. "What do you want me to do? I offered and you refused."  
  
"I have eighteen hundred dollars. Do I hear..."  
  
"Two thousand", the first man called out. Duo turned and scanned the area behind them, but with the lights in the hall so low, he could not make out the man who's ass he would soon be kicking.   
  
"Two thousand, do I hear more?"  
  
The second man took a breath. "Twenty one hundred."  
  
"Twenty five hundred!!", the first man countered.  
  
Duo looked back at Hilde. Her smile was wide; a slight blush colored her cheeks. He glanced at Quatre; the look on his friend's face indicated that his offer still stood. Duo's own face was a mask of child-like confusion.   
  
"Twenty five hundred going once..."  
  
Duo bit his thumb.  
  
"Twenty five hundred going twice...  
  
He opened his mouth.  
  
"SOLD!! A date with Miss Hilde Schbeiker goes to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Mr. Noah Shephard for twenty five hundred dollars." There was a smattering of applause and several calls of congratulations directed at Noah. Hilde gracefully slipped backstage. "And that wraps up our charity auction. Remember that all checks need to be made out directly to the St. Simon Home for Boys and Girls; you can give them to the hostess at the door. On behalf of St. Simon's and the children who call it home, thank you for your generosity. Goodnight!"  
  
Quatre patted Duo's back as the braided man banged his forehead against the table. "There, there."  
  
****  
  
"But Heero...half the point of the auction was getting those self-centered diplomats to open up their checkbooks *and* their hearts to the orphans."  
  
Heero looked down at his girlfriend. "Quatre opened his checkbook. And you don't have to suffer an evening with an ambassador. I'd say everyone won."   
  
"If you insist on having a valid point..." Relena relaxed and settled back into the crook of Heero's arm. "It really was a wonderful evening. The only thing that could have made it better was having my brother and Lucy on Earth."   
  
Sally swirled her congac around in her glass before taking a sip. "How are they liking Mars?"  
  
"Millardo says it's a challenge, but they're getting along fabulously." Relena's smile was mischeivious. "I hope to be an aunt very soon."  
  
Quatre shifted on the leather couch next to Trowa. "Is Miss Noin expecting?"  
  
"No", Relena replied, picking up her own congac glass from the coffee table. "But they're...actively trying."  
  
Trowa shook his head. "Far too much information about Zechs...", he muttered.  
  
Hilde, still glowing from her evening in the spotlight, smiled brightly. "I think that's wonderful. Although I have to admit, I still find it hard not to think of them as superior officers, rather than regular people."   
  
"Zechs would still let you think of him as a superior officer", Duo snorted into his glass.   
  
Relena had to nod her agreement, thinking of all the "discussions" Millardo had subjected her to on the topic of dating Heero Yuy. Heero turned his face into her neck, discreetly nuzzling her soft skin. Relena set her glass aside. "Well...I'm tired."  
  
"So am I", Heero announced. The couple stood up together.   
  
Quatre gave them a knowing smile. "Sleep sounds good." Trowa nodded whole-heartedly.   
  
Duo shook his head and drank deeply. "Go forth and have fun", he mumbled around his glass.  
  
"Goodnight", Relena called out as Heero led her out of the parlor. Quatre and Trowa followed with Wufei and Sally in tow. Duo and Hilde were left behind.   
  
Hilde sighed and took a tip sip of her drink. "So...", she began. "Fun night?"  
  
"I've had better", Duo replied, honestly. **Like the time I got captured by OZ and watched my Deathscythe be wheeled away.**  
  
"Well...I had fun." Hilde's voice was haughty, but she dropped it back to normal after Duo failed to pay attention. "I can't believe I'll be going out with the Minister of Internal Affairs." Duo made a noise in the back of his throat. "He's very handsome", Hilde continued. "I spoke to him before we left the banquet hall."  
  
Duo downed the rest of his cognac. "That's just...great."  
  
His tone bit at her, but she lifted her chin valiantly. "Everyone is supposed to go on their dates tomorrow night, but he has a prior engagement. So do you know what he's going to do?"   
  
"Cancel the date?", Duo asked, hopefully.  
  
"No..." She struggled to keep her voice even. "He's going to take his *private* shuttle to L2 sometime next week and take me out for dinner and dancing at Chez Pierre", she informed him, naming the most expensive restaurant on their colony.   
  
Duo reached for the cognac bottle to pour himself another drink. "Forgive me if I don't jump up and down with excitement."   
  
Hilde slammed her glass onto the coffee table. "That's it. I am tired of you being so immature! You have no right to be such a jerk about me dating another man. It's my life, Duo...I'll live it as I see fit." She started out of the parlor, but turned around to confront him again. "You know...I don't owe you anything. We're just friends, by your own admission. But honestly..." She crossed her arms. "Keep this up and all we'll be is business partners."  
  
He stared at the amber liquid in his glass before pouring it back into the bottle.  
  
****  
  
"...and he's coming in his private shuttle and he's picking her up at any minute and she bought a new dress and I can smell her perfume all the way down the hall and if she kisses him, I'm going to just self-combust and I don't know what to do, Quatre!!!"  
  
"Okay...Duo, take a breath."  
  
"I can't...breathe.... Too...."  
  
"Duo!", Quatre raised his voice. "Breathe. Deeply." He waited until Duo sucked in a huge lungful of air. "Now...breathe out...slowly." Duo released the breath. "Now, here's what you're going to do. When he comes to the door, you're going to let him in. Make small talk with him. Areas of conversation to avoid: embarassing stories about Hilde, your body count during the wars and how much you love the woman he's taking to dinner. When she comes out, tell her to have a good time. Close the door behind them, park yourself in front of the TV and don't think about anything for the next few hours. Go to bed before she comes in so she won't think you've been waiting up for her."  
  
"But....", Duo spluttered.  
  
On the communicator screen, he could see Quatre shaking his head. "No 'buts'. I mean...what else are you going to do?"   
  
Duo blinked. "Follow them in a disguise?"  
  
Quatre sighed and looked at something off-screen to his right, presumably Trowa. This was confirmed after a second when Trowa gently moved Quatre out of the way and stuck his head in the screen. "Negative", he said. "Do not proceed with that mission, Maxwell. It will only dig you into a deeper pit."   
  
"But..."  
  
"No 'buts'", Quatre and Trowa replied, in unison. Quatre continued, "Promise me you won't do anything stupid."  
  
Duo hesitated. "Um..."  
  
"Duo."  
  
The braided man reached for the scrambler dial on the communicator. Twisting it caused static to filter across the screen. "I'm losing you, Quat-man....our connection's getting bad..."  
  
"Duo....I said, don't do anything stupid..."  
  
"What did you say? Stop the date at all costs?" Duo fiddled with the button some more. "All right..if you say so!"  
  
Quatre grabbed his own screen with both hands. "Duo!"  
  
"Sorry...I can't hear you....Quatre... Quatre!!" Duo flicked the screen off. He felt mildly bad for blowing his friends off, but the situation was too dire to listen to reason.   
  
The sound of the doorbell reverberated throughout the house. Scowling, Duo left his bedroom and walked to the front door. A handsome man in a smart, black tuxedo stood on the stood. He carried a massive bouquet of roses; behind him, in the driveway, Duo could see a stretch limousine.  
  
The man smiled confidantly. "Hello. I'm Noah Shephard." He held out his hand, but Duo ignored it. After a moment, the hand withdrew. "Um...I'm here to pick up Miss Schbeiker."  
  
"She's getting dressed", Duo said curtly.   
  
Noah nodded and waited to be invited in. When the invitation did not come, he cleared his throat. "Is it all right if I wait for her inside?"  
  
Duo made a short gesture inside and turned around. Noah hesitated before following the strange man with braided hair. He gently closed the front door behind them. "Do you...um...live here, too?", Noah asked.  
  
"Of course. Hilde and I have lived together for years."   
  
Noah smiled. "I wish I were that close to my sister, but in truth we can't stand to be in the same room together, much less share a house."   
  
"Sister?", Duo stammered. "Hilde's *not* my sister, pal. She's my..."  
  
"Business partner", Hilde finished his sentence. Both men turned to see her enter the living room in her floor length maroon colored dress. It dipped down low, exposing a tantilizing amount of cleavage. She smiled brightly at Noah. "It's nice to see you again, Mr. Shephard."   
  
"Please..." Noah returned the smile. "Call me Noah, Miss Schbeiker."  
  
Hilde pouted prettily. "Only if you promise to call me Hilde." Noah nodded. Duo fought with his gag reflex.   
  
Noah looked at the roses in his hands. "Here....I got these for you. I'm sorry I didn't know your favorite flower; I hope you like roses."   
  
"Oh...they're lovely!" Hilde accepted the bouquet. "Thank you so much, Noah."   
  
"Well..." Noah looked at his watch. "Should we go? I made reservations..."  
  
Hilde nodded. "Of course. Let me just grab my purse." She handed the roses to Duo. "Duo...be a dear and put these in a vase, will you?" Duo took the flowers with numb fingers. Hilde disappeared and came back a moment later with a small, black purse. "Shall we?"   
  
Noah held out the crook of his arm; Hilde placed her hand in it. Duo watched them leave. The door slammed behind them. He looked down at the flowers in his hand.   
  
"Just how many roses can you flush down a toilet before it overflows?"  
  
****  
  
Halfway through her salad, Hilde felt as though she were being watched. She ignored the feeling, chalking it up to paranoia, until she felt the same sensation as the waiter brought the main course. Turning around in her seat, she examined the restaurant with a sharp eye. But she noticed nothing out of the ordinary.   
  
Noah looked up from his broiled sea bass. "Is something the matter?"  
  
Hilde twisted back around. "No." She picked up her fork. "Everything's fine."   
  
"So...your business partner lives with you?", Noah asked, genuinely curious.   
  
She nodded and forked up a bite of Portobello mushroom. "It was...economical. And he's not a bad roommate. Dirty socks and raised toilet seat aside, of course."   
  
"Of course." Noah took a sip of wine. "You must be very good friends if you can live together, free of sexual tension."  
  
Hilde blushed. "Duo and I aren't like that..."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
She reached for her own wine glass. "We just aren't."  
  
Noah let the subject drop. "Tell me some more about yourself. How did a lovely woman like you become interested in working with metal?"  
  
"Well..." Hilde smiled. "It's long story that starts on the moon...."  
  
****  
  
His fake beard itched. With his sunglasses on inside, everything was a shade darker. And the potted plant he thought would conceal him so well was only suceeding in blocking much of what was going on at the small, private table in the corner of Chez Pierre. He peered over his menu and squinted. Her back was facing him. All he could see was Noah, listening intently to whatever she was saying and taking occasional bites of his dinner.   
  
"Excuse me...sir?" Duo blinked and looked up at the waitress. The girl looked him over. "Um...are you going to order, sir?"  
  
An earlier glance at the prices had made up his mind for him. "Just water. Keep it coming." The waitress blinked and walked away. His attention returned to his mission.   
  
He watched as Noah spoke to Hilde for a long minute. Eventually, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a long, velvet box. Duo's heart beat somewhere near his throat.   
  
"That had better be the fanciest damn cigar case in the world!"  
  
****  
  
"I can't accept this." Hilde stared at the diamond tennis bracelet Noah held out to her. The diamonds caught the candlelight and sparkled temptingly. "Thank you so much, but I just can't."  
  
"No...please." Noah lifted the bracelet out of the box. "I want you to have it. Think of it as my gift to you. For being so generous with your time with the orphans in mind."   
  
Hilde let him fasten the diamond band around her slender wrist. "I really can't..."  
  
"Say you'll wear it?" Noah took her hand in his. "Please?"  
  
****  
  
The menu tore under the pressure Duo put on it. Diamonds. The slick bastard gave her diamonds. He might as well have given her an engagement ring. Who the hell did Noah think he was, horning in on his girl?? Duo crumpled the menu between his palms as Noah took Hilde's hand. Duo could just imagine the conversation going on between them.   
  
**Wear this bracelet, Hilde. As a symbol of my eternal and undying love for you.**  
  
**Oh, Noah! It's so beautiful! Looking at these diamonds makes me forget all about that silly boy named Duo.**  
  
**Duo, who, my dear Hilde?**  
  
**Exactly! We shall start a new life together, leaving the boy with the braid behind!**  
  
Duo grabbed his water glass and took a long drink. A diamond bracelet. He gave her a diamond bracelet. He thought back, trying to remember the last present he had given Hilde. A wrench set for Christmas.   
  
He slumped down into his seat. A wrench set. He had given her tools. And Noah gave her diamonds. Noah was rich, successful, worldly. Duo owned a scrap shop and ate fried chicken with his fingers. Noah could give Hilde everything she could possibly want. Duo couldn't even 'fess up to his feelings for her. Why was he trying to sabotage this date? Who deserved Hilde more, him or Noah?  
  
Who was the better man?   
  
When the waitress returned to the table a moment later, all she found was a fake beard and a torn menu.  
  
****  
  
Hilde let herself into the house with her key. She could hear the faint sound of the TV from the living room. Setting her purse and keys on the hall table, she walked towards the source of the noise. Not surprisingly, Duo was sprawled on the couch in front of the set, asleep. The remote was still in his hand, but hanging on by a thread, ready to fall at any second.   
  
She watched him. Watched the rise and fall of his chest. Watched the adorable way his eyebrow twitched every few seconds. Watched the almost dried path of a tear down his cheek. Her brow crinkled. A tear. Had Duo been crying?  
  
Gently, she took the remote from his hand and muted the TV. She sat next to his sleeping body and studied him closely. He had been crying; there were distinctive tear stains on his cheeks. Had he been watching 'Steel Magnolias' again? The movie ought to be banned...  
  
He stirred in his sleep. Hilde placed a hand against his cheek. His skin was warm. She traced the length of his jaw with her finger, marveling at its perfection. Her fingers trailed back up to his forehead and tangled themselves in his thick bangs of chestnut silk.   
  
His hand gripped her wrist. He opened his eyes, revealing twin pools of liquid violet. "Hilde", he muttered.  
  
She relaxed. "Hi. It's just me. I'm sorry I woke you."  
  
Duo struggled to sit up, still half asleep. "When did you get in?"  
  
"Just a minute ago. Noah dropped me off."   
  
"Noah..." Duo scowled, sleepily.   
  
Hilde cleared her throat. "Yes. We had a really nice evening. If you care..."  
  
He blinked and examined her bare wrist. "Where's your bracelet?"  
  
"My what? How did you know...?" Her eyes narrowed dramatically. "You didn't..." He looked away. "I knew it!!" She shot to her feet. "I knew someone was watching us!! I should have figured it was you!" Hilde began to pace. "Of all the low things you've ever done, Duo Maxwell, this is the lowest! Congratulations...you have sunk to a new level of low!!"  
  
"Where's your bracelet?", he repeated.   
  
She ignored him. "What were you hoping to accomplish?? Do you want me to stay home every night and never go out?? Do you want to make me miserable?" She paused. "Were you jealous? No...I know that's not it. Jealousy would mean than you care about me as more than just a friend. And I *know* that's not the case."   
  
"Where is your bracelet?"  
  
"Is that all you care about? Why do you want to know so badly, Duo??"  
  
Duo pressed the tips of his fingers together. "I just thought...it looked nice on you." There was a second's pause. "Much nicer than a wrench looks in your hand."   
  
Hilde stared at him. "What are you talking about?" He didn't reply. "Is that what this is about? Gifts? The wrench set you gave me for Christmas?"  
  
"When you compare it to a diamond bracelet..." Duo snorted. "It comes up pretty short."  
  
"Duo." Hilde took a breath. "You don't deserve this, but I'm going to say it anyways. That wrench set was the best present anyone has ever given me."  
  
His anger flared. "I don't believe that! It was a fucking tool set, Hilde! Talk about deserving things....you deserve something *so* much better than....than tools!! You deserve diamonds and private jets and limousines and French restaurants and...." He swallowed, but continued. "...a man who can tell you he loves you."  
  
Silence followed his outburst. Finally, Hilde spoke. "I gave the bracelet back to him when I asked him to take me home instead of out dancing."  
  
Duo was confused. "Why?"  
  
She began to laugh. "How come you even have to *ask* that, Duo?? Can't you see it? I am completely, madly, passionately, stupidly in love with you....you big idiot!!! I don't want diamonds from another man. I mean....what the hell am I going to do with a diamond tennis bracelet? Lock it in a safe, never to see the light of day?" Hilde wiped her eyes. "But that wrench set....I use it every day, Duo. And every day I look at it and remember that not only did you take the time and money to buy me a present you knew I would like...you knew me well enough to know what I needed. And no other man in the world...certainly not one I met on an auction block....could ever know me that well."   
  
"Hilde..." Duo dragged his hand down his face. "You deserve....a better man. Someone who can say the words." He lifted his shoulders. "I can't say them. I'm trying so hard...but I just can't!"  
  
"A better man?" Hilde dropped to her knees in front of him. "Duo....there *isn't* a better man for me. You're it." She cupped his face in her hands. "I don't need to hear the words, Duo. I just need to *see* that you love me. The words can wait. For now..." Her thumbs caressed his cheeks. "Show me you love me."   
  
"I don't know how to..." He was cut off by her soft lips pressing against his. She pulled back after a minute.  
  
"Duo...if I have to explain to you what I mean, we're never going to get anywhere."   
  
He stared into her eyes for what seemed like an eternity. The eyes he had wanted to drown himself in were open to him. Welcoming him. Like a child on the diving board for the first time, Duo closed his eyes and jumped.   
  
****  
  
"Duo."  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"How come you didn't bid on me at the auction?"  
  
He looked down at the woman curled against his bare chest. "Oh...I had a million reasons, Hilde."  
  
"A million?" She frowned. "I'm not sure I like that."   
  
"Well...they were really stupid reasons", he assured her, kissing her tousled hair.  
  
She smiled and snuggled closer to him, relishing in the heat of his skin against hers. "Tell me the main reason."   
  
Duo didn't answer for a minute as he idly stroked her smooth arm. "I was scared", he finally said.  
  
"Of me?"  
  
"Of you, of myself, of feeling something so deep for someone else...of being out of control, of losing the thing I cherish most in the world." He raised his shoulders. "Stupid, huh?"  
  
Hilde shook her head. "Valid. Everyone feels that way, Duo. You don't think Heero fell into Relena's arms with no hesitations, do you?" Duo made a noise of agreement. "Are you still scared?"  
  
"Right now? Right here?" He tightened his hold on her slender body. "How could I be?"  
  
His answer satisfied her. She arched her neck and planted a kiss on his lips. "I love you, Duo."  
  
He kissed her back tenderly. "You are everything to me." His lips curled up mischievously. "Let me show you again...."  
  
**** 


End file.
